Muscle Recovery – An Underrated Fitness Requirement

No doubt that exercising is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle and there is no other better way to gain sound mental and physical health than exercising regularly.

But often we get so engrossed in our workout regimen and obsessed about getting that perfect shape, that we tend to overwork our bodies, well beyond our limits.

While excessive workouts are the goals of most fitness freaks, it largely hampers our muscles and tissues in the long run.

People often get carried away and neglect the fact that just like us our muscles need rest too!

It is very important to take breaks in between workout cycles to give our muscles the much-needed time to rest and heal themselves.

What happens when our muscles are overworked?

Putting excess load on the muscles can have detrimental impacts. Not giving enough time to our muscles results in tears in them.

Over time the muscles become inflamed, swollen, and hugely exhausted, which ultimately leads to poor performance and results.

Some might even develop Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) associated with many behavioural and physiological changes, which can be of much concern.

It often results in chronic muscle and joint pains and leaves us with a compromised immune system.

How to boost muscle recovery?

One has to understand that the muscles do not grow while performing workouts; instead, they grow during the rest time in between the workout sessions.

When you give time to recover yourself, your entire body adapts better to all the stress put on by the training.

There are many ways to enhance your muscle recovery.

#1 Resting

Complete rest or maybe going for low-intensity training in between arduous exercise routines can be helpful for your muscle recovery.

This makes sure that you do not injure your muscles by working repeatedly on the same muscle groups over and over.

#2 Balanced Diet

Eating a healthy and balanced diet ensures that your muscles gain the requisite nutrients required to keep them fine and fit.

Cutting out on ultra-processed foods and opting for plenty of fruits and vegetables is necessary.

Going for a pre-workout and post-workout proteinaceous diet is also something that is not to be neglected.

#3 Hydration

Staying hydrated aids your muscles in getting repaired and replenished. Enough amount of water helps reduce the soreness and tension in your muscles.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day speeds up your muscle recovery process.

#4 Sleep

Getting enough sleep improves the repairment of muscles and tissues.

When you improve your sleep duration and quality, your muscles get the time to relax and heal from the strain caused by the tough workout sessions.

Adequate sleep of course also improves performance.

#5 Massage

Massage helps in increased blood flow all over the body which leads to healthy muscle recovery.

Intense muscle soreness arising from tough and strenuous workouts can be healed with proper massage sessions.

Massaging also improves flexibility and delays the onset of muscular wear and tear.

The importance of muscle recovery in fitness training can never be undermined. Be it light workout sessions or high-impact ones, muscle recovery is the key to gaining that perfectly healthy body.

Remember, the more you recover, the more fit you become!